April 3, 2023
Over three days, starting from Wednesday 5th April, through Friday, 7th of April, a delegation of legislators will visit Hollywood and Silicon Valley. During their tour, they will meet with CEOs and other top executives from key technology firms and Hollywood studios.
According to sources close to the situation, the group will be led by Rep. Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin who chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and will include around ten additional legislators.
The sessions, which will all be held in private, come at a time when tensions between the US and China are rising, notably over intellectual property and trade. The meetings, according to a committee staffer, are intended to be fruitful and will not be guided by any legislative agenda. The goal is to hear the CEOs’ perspectives on numerous challenges, with a special emphasis on artificial intelligence.
The lawmakers have a scheduled meeting with Disney CEO Bob Iger on Wednesday to discuss the company’s complex relationship with China. Afterward, they will meet with Hollywood producers, former studio executives, and screenwriters. Iger is the only current CEO of a major studio that the group plans to meet with in Hollywood.
The sources for this piece include an article in Axios.
